


The Stray

by paulatheprokaryote



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Animagus, Bakery and Coffee Shop, Black Family (Harry Potter), Community: HPFT, Dog - Freeform, Gen, Kindness
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-26
Updated: 2016-05-26
Packaged: 2018-07-10 09:30:01
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,122
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6977731
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/paulatheprokaryote/pseuds/paulatheprokaryote
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>
  <img/>
</p>
<p>Sirius Black learns how to be woman's best friend for a few days.</p>
<p>Stunning banner by  darth vader@The-Dark-Arts.net</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Stray

Sirius Black couldn’t stop pacing the filthy sidewalk. He’d finally done it. He pushed that vile creature he called a mother over the edge. With a flick of her wand, she’d flung him out the creaky door of number 12 Grimmauld Place and sealed him out. He had half a mind to pry that door open and scream at her some more.

The rain began to fall again, but he was far too agitated to notice. His pacing turned to mindlessly tromping through London as he replayed the scene in his head over and over.

_“You’re acting like a blood traitor, Sirius. Is that what you are? A filthy muggle lover? We’ve talked to him. He says he has a place for you among his ranks. It might just straighten you out a bit,” His mother’s voice rang in his head._

She was so quick to sell him to some blood fanatic looking for a war. The entire discussion devolved into her screeching at him pointing out his every flaw. He kept looking at Regulus for some kind of support, but he just sat at the dining table with a bored expression. He really thought his brother would back him up at some point, no matter their differences.

Sirius had to stop dwelling on it. He had bigger problems to worry about.

Sirius’ first instinct was to pop over to James’ house, but the wards would be far too strong for him to just show up when they weren’t home. They’d be back from France in two days time so he’d have to find somewhere to sleep until then.

Sirius stopped his pacing in an alleyway behind a bakery when he realized it was getting dark. A rusty vent against the faded brick building produced enough warm air for him to sleep under with enough awning to keep him out of the rain when he changed to his animagus form. He circled three times before lying on the damp concrete.

“What are you doing out here?” A small brunette woman holding huge garbage bags berated the large, soaking dog in the pouring rain.

He was sure that she was going to run him off. After all, who’d want a stray hanging around their alley late at night?

“Get your tail inside and dry off!” She ordered the dog as if he could understand her.

She pointed a finger toward the doorway, other hand placed firmly on her hip. For a moment Sirius was concerned that she might recognize he was an animagus somehow. Then again, this was muggle London. What are the chances?

Sirius weighed his options momentarily and went inside, tail tucked. He followed her up the stairs into a small flat. It’s not like she could keep him forever. As soon as she left for work or to run errands, he’d just transform back to his human form and walk out the front door.

“Stay!” She commanded.

He stopped in the small foyer, surprised by a command. She frantically dashed into the living room and grabbed a ragged blanket to dry his fur off.

“Much better. Let me start you a fire,” She muttered to him, stacking firewood into her stove.

Once the fire was roaring, she turned to him, hands on her hips, as if evaluating him.

“I’m starved. How ‘bout you?” She asked him.

He tilted his head slightly.

She couldn’t possibly know he was an animagus. No way.

“Noodles? No, that’s not good for dogs. Tuna? Do dogs eat tuna or is that just a cat thing?” She asked absentmindedly, digging through her small pantry.

She turned to him, hands on her hips again.

“How about a nice turkey and cheese sandwich?” she offered with a kind smile.

She was really starting to freak him out.

“Dogs love mustard” she decided as she lathered the bread with mustard, stacked so many slices of meat that it was spilling over the sides, layering cheese in between.

“I’m sorry I don’t have any dog food. Or really any food. Money has been a bit tight at my cafe downstairs,” She explained to the dog as she placed his sandwich on the faded floor.

Sirius dug into the sandwich, wolfing it down savagely.

“Alright, maybe two sandwiches for you,” She snorted, getting back up to make him another.

“First thing tomorrow we will go paste found signs around the neighborhood. I’m sure someone is looking for you,” she decided, picking the plate off the kitchen floor and placing it in the sink.

Sirius followed her into the small sitting area. He glanced around at the tacky tapestries, old art prints, and ragged rug and decided this wasn’t too bad of a joint.

She sprawled across the heavily worn leather couch with an dusty looking book and began to read. Sirius, feeling out of place, sat on the edge of the fraying rug staring out the window at the rain.

After a few minutes of this, she looked up from the book with a heavy sigh.

“Will you just come lay down? You’re making me uncomfortable,” She berated the dog.

Sirius, ever the obedient dog, laid down at her feet. She reached down and scratched his ears, stopping only to flip the pages.

By the end of the chapter she was reading, Sirius was fast asleep, snoring peacefully.

The next morning, Sirius awoke with a massive sneeze. He wasn’t quite feeling well. His body ached and his nose was steadily dripping. He shouldn’t have stayed out in the rain that long.

His massive, echoing sneeze woke up the messy haired muggle girl, who clearly never made it to bed last night.

Sirius stood up, arching his back, and let out a small whine.

“I’m calling you Snuffles,” She addressed him, stretching herself and stifling a yawn.

Sirius glared at her indignantly.

“That’s what you get when you’ve got a cold,” She grinned at him. She got up and he followed her to the kitchen.

“I’ll be having coffee,” She glanced down at him, “I think you’re in need of some soup.”

She fiddled with a muggle contraption until it began dripping out what he assumed to be coffee. She poured some questionable liquid into a pot on the stove.

She turned around. Staring at him with her soft brown eyes.

“I had one just like you, Snuffles,” She smiled sadly at him.

“I lost him two years ago,” She turned around, stirring his soup. “Cancer.”

Sirius didn’t have a clue what he should do. She was clearly upset. He decided to lick her hand reassuringly.

She patted his head gently, eyes glistening.

She stopped suddenly, placing his soup on the floor. Her entire mood changed so suddenly that it startled Sirius.

“I’ve got to get dressed for work. I’m right downstairs so I’ll be coming in and out to check on you,” She informed him snappily.

Twenty minutes later, she had her hair pinned up, a moth-eaten cardigan on, and a bright smile plastered on.

She lead him to the small balcony with a misplaced patch of grass in a box.

“I’ll leave the balcony cracked if you need to go,” She readjusted her collared shirt.

Sirius felt distinctly embarrassed and suddenly had sympathy for real dogs that always had humans in their business.

“I’m leaving the radio on so you don’t get bored. You should have plenty of water in the kitchen.”

As soon as she slammed the door, Sirius hopped up on the leather couch and sprawled into his favorite starfish position. He slept the morning away and only woke up when she slammed the door shut again at lunch time.

“Snuffles!” She called from the tiny foyer.

“Snuffles, you sneaky snake!” She laughed as she attempted to scold him for lounging on the couch.

She gave up and went to the kitchen.

“I brought you some sausages from the shop down the street,” she sat a plate on the floor.

The smell of the sizzling sausages convinced Sirius to leap off the couch and bound across the linoleum to the kitchen.

She grinned warmly as he devoured the entire plate in seconds. He licked his chops fervently as she rinsed the chipped plate.

“Alright, I’m sure you’re bored out of your mind and you seem to listen pretty well. Why don’t you come down to the cafe with me for a few hours. You can entertain the patrons,” She suggested.

“And if they don’t like dogs, they aren’t really the kind of people we like anyway, huh?” She mused.

Sirius quite liked the cafe. The smell of coffee and rich pastries bombarded his nostrils and filled his brain with pleasure. He also quite liked the patrons of her shop. The entire afternoon consisted of belly rubs, ear scratches, and nips of scones.

The evening came, the cafe closed, and Sirius followed her around the neighborhood as she stapled flyers to telephone poles.

She stopped by a small shop that smelled horrendously of cats. It caused Sirius’ hair to stand in mohawk. He sniffed every shelf for the dastardly creatures, but none showed their ugly faces. Probably because they could smell how dominant and fierce he was. Most likely.

They returned home to the flat above the cafe and she scooped out some dog food from a heavy bag and placed it into a cheap plastic bowl. He happily grazed, despite still being full from the cafe scraps.

As the evening sun faded into the horizon, she surprised him with a rather large bone to gnaw on. Sirius sprawled across the floor, whittling the bone down chomp by chomp. At some point, she fell asleep again with a dusty book in her hand.

Sirius paused from his incessant chewing to admire her sleeping form. Not many people would take in a giant, scruffy looking street dog without hesitation. He’d be a bit sorry to leave for the Potters’ in the morning. He reluctantly left the bone on the rug and curled up beside her, snoring the night away.

He left before she woke up. It’d be easier that way. In the back alley, he hailed the Knight Bus to James’ place.

\-----------------------------------------

“Mate, I don’t understand what it is we’re doing here,” James said for the fifth time, looking distinctly uncomfortable about being in muggle London.

“Just come on,” Sirius growled.

“Fine, fine!” James said sourly, hands up in surrender.

“This is the place,” Sirius determined. He was more familiar with the back alley than the front of the cafe.

James and Sirius went to the bar to order.

There she was, busying herself with two patrons who couldn’t decide what brew to order.

Sirius’ heart was racing slightly in excitement.

She smiled up at him, filling the order of the couple in front of them.

“I’ll be with you in one moment,” She put the lids on the coffees.

“What can I get you?” She leaned against the cash register.

“Two flat whites, please” Sirius ordered.

“Coming right up!” She hurried to brew the espressos.

Sirius took the sizable amount of muggle money out of his pocket and filled the large tip jar to the brim.

She didn’t notice the tip jar immediately, handing over the coffees with a plastered smile.

He handed her a tenner, which he had been assured at Gringotts would be enough to cover two coffees, and told her to keep the change.

Before the door swung closed, he heard her shriek. She noticed the jar.

\------------------------------------------------

_17 years later_

 

Sirius circled three times before curling up in front of the laundry vent. It wasn’t much, but it was better than the squalor he’d spent the past twelve years in. The pitter patter of rain would his lullaby for the evening. He had nearly drifted to sleep when he heard the rustle of garbage bags. He slowly lifted his exhausted head, ears perked toward the noise.

“Snuffles?” The same kind voice called to him from years ago.

“Snuffles, that can’t be you!” She gasped.

“Get your tail inside!” She pointed to the heavy wooden door, hand on her hip.

He wagged his tail slightly and climbed the stairs. He waited on the rug as she dried him with a plush towel.

“You smell like a wet dog!” She muttered to herself.

“Mummy?” Sirius was startled by a small voice from the hallway he’d never been down.

A small, groggy boy, no older than seven or eight, teetered sleepily in the hallway.

“Go back to sleep, love,” She sang back to the child.

Sirius, now dry, curled up on the nice, new leather couch.

She grabbed a large velvety blanket and curled up beside him, the soft hum of the television filling the silence of the night.


End file.
